My Avatar Oneshots
by hhgbh
Summary: Short stories featuring various Avatar characters. Most will focus on the relationships between them.
1. Tough Love

Katara tucked the blanket under Aang's chin. He hadn't opened his eyes since that brief moment, as they'd escaped Ba Sing Se.

She'd healed up the wound on his back as best she could; but it still left a painful looking mark. Aang would probably be left with a permanent scar.

Still, he was alive; and she thanked the ocean and moon spirits deeply for that.

Momo was sitting beside Aang. His bat-like ears were hanging down and his tail lay limp on the floor. He looked exactly the way Katara felt. She reached over and scratched the top of his head.

"He'll be alright, Momo." She said in forced cheer. "We just need to let him rest."

She stood up and held a hand out to the lemur. Momo took a last sorrowful look at Aang and then climbed up Katara's arm, perching on her shoulder.

Katara left Aang's room and headed up to the deck, wrapping a red cloak around her as she did so. It felt strange to be wearing Fire Nation colours, but her father had told them all to be ready should they come across a Fire Navy ship.

She opened the door and stepped out onto the deck. The wind whipped her plaited hair around before she tucked it into her cloak.

Some of the Water Tribe warriors were sitting around the deck, eating and talking. Bato looked her way and waved. Katara smiled back at him. There was no sign of her father, but that was alright. She still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about seeing him again.

Appa was lying not far away. He didn't look any more cheerful than Katara or Momo. The lemur jumped down from Katara's shoulder, and went to join the bison.

Looking around, Katara's eyes came to rest on Sokka. He was leaning on the deck railing, looking down at the churning water. His face was completely blank. Since they'd left Ba Sing Se, he'd hardly spoken a word. The fact that Azula and her associates had arrived dressed in the clothes of the Kyoshi Warriors could only mean that something terrible had befallen their friends. That was bad enough, but Katara knew that Sokka's thoughts were on one of the female fighters in particular; their leader Suki.

"Hey Katara, how's Twinkletoes?"

Katara turned around to see Toph walking towards her. She almost asked the blind girl how she'd known it was her; but then she remembered that Toph's new metalbending abilities meant that she could 'see' as well on the ship as she could on land.

"He's sleeping." She said in response to Toph's question. "I don't know when he's going to wake up."

"Feels like everyone else around here is in a slump too." Toph vaguely waved her arm at their companions. "Amazing what a little thing like the defeat of the Earth Kingdom can do to people."

Katara made a humored hum at Toph's comment. She knew her friend was probably the most disheartened at her homeland being taken over by the Fire Nation. Humor and sarcasm were just her way of dealing with the situation.

She lowered her voice and nodded her head towards Sokka.

"Has he said anything? Y'know… about Suki?"

Toph shook her head.

"Nope. Just stands there. Someone should go talk to him."

"By 'someone', you mean…"

"Well, you're his sister." Toph replied with a shrug. "Besides, you're good at comforting people. If he gets mad and wants to break something; tell him to come find me."

The earthbender turned around and went to join some of the Water Tribe men for lunch; leaving Katara alone with her brother.

Walking steadily, she came up beside him and leant on the railing. For a while, the two siblings just stood in silence. Then Sokka spoke up,

"Y'know, looking back on everything that's happened to us since we left the South Pole; I've come to a realization."

"Oh, really? What is it?"

Sokka straightened up and looked out at the ocean with certainty.

"I'm cursed."

"… You're what?"

"I'm cursed. Mine is a kiss of death." Sokka turned to face Katara. "It's just like the fortune-teller Aunt Wu said. My life will be full of hardship, and I will bring it upon myself. Except, it seems I'm doomed to bring it to others as well."

"Sokka, you said fortune-telling was nonsense." Katara said.

"Well, that was before I saw all the evidence!" Sokka replied. "Think about it. First there was Yue. A beautiful princess living happily at the North Pole; I come along, and Bam! Moon-fish.

Next; Suki. She was perfectly safe on Kyoshi Island; staying out of the war and looking after her home. But then I had to show up, and _inspire_ her, and make her leave. Now look what's happened to her."

Sokka slumped over the railing with his face in his hands. Katara put an arm around his shoulder and spoke firmly,

"Sokka, don't do this to yourself. You know what happened to Yue wasn't your fault. It was her destiny to become the Moon Spirit. There was nothing either you, or anyone else, could've done to prevent it.

As for Suki; you didn't _make_ her do anything. Leaving Kyoshi Island was her decision. She wanted to help people and, even if you'd been there to tell her 'no'; she probably wouldn't have listened."

Sokka lifted his head. There was a small smile on his face.

"Yeah. She was pretty stubborn."

Katara patted his back.

"We don't know anything for certain." She said. "There's a chance she's still alive."

Sokka looked hopeful for a moment, but then his posture slumped again.

"If she is; then the Fire Nation's got her." He let out a loud groan. "I should just stay away from girls. Maybe I'll go to one of the old Air Temples and become a monk."

"Sokka, will you stop it." Katara's tone became stern. "You're not cursed. You've just had very bad luck with girlfriends. It's only natural, during war that… What?"

Sokka was looking at Katara studiously. He rubbed his chin briefly and then pointed at her.

"I think you might have it too."

Katara just stood staring at him for a moment.

"…Huh?"

"Think about it." Sokka almost seemed to be enjoying himself. He was now talking with the same energy he showed when explaining a scientific theory. "You had that crush on Jet; and he's no longer of the living."

Katara's cheeks reddened, and she was about to reply but Sokka kept going, pointing to below the deck.

"And Aang very briefly left this mortal coil; and that counts."

"So what're you saying, Sokka? That our entire family has this curse?" Katara waved her arms for emphasis. Sokka looked thoughtful, and then replied,

"Well, Grandpa did die very suddenly."

"He was old, Sokka."

"No older than Gram-Gram, and she's still going strong."

"Well, women tend to live longer than men."

"Not if they meet me, they don't."

"Now, that's enough!" Everyone on the deck turned at the sound of Katara's raised voice, but she didn't notice. She was too busy berating her brother.

"Sokka, I'm sorry about what happened to Yue and Suki, _and_ Jet; but you can't go taking the blame and feeling sorry for yourself because we need you. We're going to be attacking the very heart of the Fire Nation and, if you're not at your best, we're just going to lose more people we love. And I don't think I could take that."

Sokka looked at his sister. Her eyes were shining with the tears that always appeared when her emotions were heightened. Yet her face still held that strong, defiant expression that had become so familiar to him; especially when things seemed to be at their worst. It made him realize that he wasn't the only one left hurting from what had happened.

"Sorry." He said. Katara gave a small shrug.

"Just shut up and come here." She pulled him into a tight hug. They stayed that way for a while, and then Katara stepped back.

"Can you go back to being my obnoxious big brother now?" She asked.

Sokka replied with a grin,

"Sure, if you'll be my annoying little sister."

She gave him a playful punch on the arm, and they went to join their fellow Water Tribe members. On the way, Sokka spoke up,

"So, how many girlfriends do you think Dad killed before he met Mom?"

"Sokka…"

"Kidding."


	2. Rising Angels

Azula walked through the palace grounds with her father. The eight-year-old princess enjoyed spending time with him, because he always wanted to talk about things she liked.

Her mother, on the rare occasions she wasn't with Zuko, would usually lecture Azula on tiresome things; like why it wasn't nice to set fire to her brother's ponytail.

When Uncle Iroh came to visit, he would annoy Azula endlessly with his attempts to bond over cups full of imaginary tea; or try to make her laugh (in vain) by making shadow puppets using the ceremonial fires in the great hall.

And Zuko – Well, he never had anything useful to say.

Her father, however, always seemed to have an interesting topic to discuss. That or some wise advice, that Azula was sure would come in handy in her future.

During these father-daughter talks; there were some words that seemed to crop up frequently.

Success…

Leadership…

Power …

These were words Azula had quickly grown to love.

"Azula, your teachers tell me that you have already mastered the basics of firebending."

The pride in Prince Ozai's voice was apparent, and it made Azula tingle.

"I am certain that you will become a truly powerful firebender, worthy of the Royal Family." The prince tilted his head down, so that he could look his daughter in the eye. "But, be warned. Even the mightiest of us can fall."

Azula's face crinkled curiously. This talk seemed like it was going to be different to their others. Ozai looked out again at the expansive city surrounding their palace.

"When one has power; there will always be others to seek to take it from you. Your enemies will be many Azula, and you will not be able to defeat them all by yourself."

He pointed out a particular building which, though not nearly as grand as the palace, still gave off a sense of splendor.

"You'll soon be attending the Royal Fire Academy. Many of the students there will be the daughters of families in servitude to our own. It'd do you well to meet them." He looked to his daughter again. "However, don't rush into any alliances. You must be sure that your associates will prove to be of use to you in your endeavors."

The prince then knelt, so that he and Azula were face to face.

"Choose your friends carefully, my daughter. They will be your tools in ensuring your future success."

Azula nodded to her father. She understood.

--

The student body, in Azula's school, was all girls. This didn't bother Azula. Aside from her father, she'd never been impressed by any males. They were far too easy to predict. No, she decided that her allies would be female. For one thing, it would come as a surprise to any opposition.

When she first arrived, with her mother, a number of other families flocked over to pay their respects. They bowed and complemented Ursa on raising such a beautiful little princess. Azula accepted the praise with modest dignity, like she'd been taught to; but inside, she felt like gagging.

It was at that time that she first met Mai.

Mai was a couple of years older than Azula. Her father was an up-and-coming member of Fire Lord Azulon's government body. He and his wife bowed to Azula and her mother, gave the usual gushing compliments and then introduced their daughter.

Mai acted respectfully enough. She bowed as her parents instructed, and said she was honored to meet Azula; but there was something in her eyes that said she'd much rather have been somewhere else.

Azula was intrigued by this but, heeding her father's advice, decided not to approach Mai right away. Instead, she watched her during school recess. Mai didn't play with any of the other girls. She'd just sit on a bench, or beside a tree, and idly pick at the grass or her clothing.

By studying her actions, body language and facial expressions; Azula was soon able to draw up a definite conclusion about Mai.

The girl was bored.

Not just bored with school, but with _life_. Azula knew she had no brothers or sisters at home, and her father's work probably didn't leave much time for him to spend with her. From what Azula had seen of her mother; she'd probably get more intellectual conversation out of a turtleduck.

Mai was practically starving for some excitement. So much so, that she probably wouldn't care if it came with some degree of danger.

That was exactly the kind of attitude that Azula could use.

One sunny day, at the start of afternoon recess, Azula walked casually up to Mai and said,

"Want to do something bad?"

Mai looked up in surprise. It was the first genuine emotion that Azula had seen on her face. She continued without waiting for an answer.

"There's this really annoying teacher I have for History. He's always saying things like '_Good young ladies are seen but never heard_.' Or '_A woman always knows her place_.' It's gotten to the point where I can't stand the sound of his voice anymore. So I've decided to do something about it."

She produced a plain looking paper bag.

"Fire flakes." She said by way of explanation. "_Extra_ potent. I'm going to slip them into his tea. I just need a lookout. You in?"

Azula waited patiently while Mai struggled with her answer. While she'd clearly been wishing for something like this; now that it was happening, she appeared hesitant.

"If we get caught, we'll get in big trouble." She said.

"So, we won't get caught." Azula answered with a relaxed shrug. "If you don't want to; that's fine."

She turned around and began walking away.

"I just thought you might like some excitement."

She continued to walk at an unrushed pace, slowly counting down from five in her head.

"Wait…"

Azula smiled.

--

No one ever found out who'd put fire flakes in Mr. Fe's tea; but the high weak voice he know spoke with, on account of his scorched vocal chords, often left the students in hysterics. Azula and Mai among them.

The two girls spent most of their free time together. Azula even had Mai come home with her, where she noticed the quiet girl casting occasional glances at her brother.

Ursa was happy to see Azula spending time with someone her own age, and asked her daughter if she had any other friends she'd like to invite over. To this, Azula replied with,

"Not yet."

She'd decided at the beginning that her group of allies would be small. It was much easier to manage that way. Plus, she didn't want to depend on too many people. It might make her unwary.

However, two was an inefficient number. Her little team would need a third member at least. So, she began to study the girls around her, at school. Any little characteristics that stood out would be scrutinized, so as to see whether they could be put to use for Azula.

Finally, she decided on who her new friend would be.

She and Mai stood in the schoolyard, watching the front gates. The last few families were dropping off their daughters, and the girl Azula had had her eye on was among the very last to arrive.

Mai looked at the seven girls walking in single file behind their mother. There was nothing about them that impressed her. She turned to Azula.

"They all look the same. Which one is Ty Lee again?"

Azula pointed to the girl bringing up the rear.

"The one walking on her hands."

Ty Lee's attention was focused entirely on keeping her legs in the air, and her hands on the ground. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth in concentration as she moved one hand in front of the other.

"_Ty Lee_!"

Her mother's shrill cry broke the girl's focus. She staggered about, trying to keep her balance, but gravity won over. Azula and Mai both cringed at her undignified landing.

Ty Lee sat upright with a small groan. Her long braided ponytail hung down over her face. Her mother marched over, took hold of her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"How many times have I told you? Your hands are not for walking on!" She marched Ty Lee back to where her other daughters were waiting. "Now, stay with your sisters and stay _upright_."

Ty Lee's face was downcast, but she obeyed. Azula waited until the girls' mother had left before approaching them. Mai followed behind.

"I thought you looked very clever." Azula said in a friendly tone.

Ty Lee looked up and, upon seeing who was talking to her, made a deep bow.

"Princess Azula…"

Azula waved a dismissive hand.

"Please, just call me Azula. And this is Mai."

Upon introducing the two of them, Azula held out a hand in greeting. Ty Lee looked unsure at first, and then tentatively shook the princess' hand. It was only for a short time, but it was enough for Azula to collect some information about the girl.

Ty Lee had quite a strong grip for someone so slight. And the skin on her hands wasn't as soft as it looked. It seemed that, despite her dainty appearance, Ty Lee wasn't a girl afraid to get her hands dirty.

Excellent.

"Do you want to come to the palace with us after class?" Azula asked her. "Mai and I would love to see some more acrobatics. Wouldn't we, Mai?"

She gave the other girl a nudge with her foot. Mai suppressed a sigh.

"Yeah. Sure would."

"Really? You want us to…" Ty Lee looked back towards her sisters, who seemed a bit wary of Azula. Although no one had said anything to her face, Azula knew that a number of the students found her intimidating. This, of course, suited her just fine.

She lightly tapped Ty Lee's shoulder.

"No, no. Not them. Just you."

Ty Lee looked back to Azula with disbelief etched over her face. It quickly faded though, and was replaced by a gleeful smile. It was as if the idea of doing something apart from her sisters was the greatest scenario in the world. Azula had been counting on this very thing.

Looking at the smiling girl, Azula noticed that she had very sweet, innocent look about her with her large brown eyes and heart-shaped face. That in itself could prove useful. On her trips to and from school, she'd studied some of her male escorts. It seemed that a disarming smile from a passing pretty girl was enough to distract men from their other duties. Yet another weakness of their sex.

As Ty Lee hurried off to class, promising to meet the girls later, Mai looked to Azula quizzically.

"Are you sure about her? She's so… bouncy."

"So she's enthusiastic." Azula replied. "I think she's got potential."

Indeed, both her friends had potential. Now all Azula had to do was draw it out.

--

Two years passed. Fire Lord Azulon died suddenly and, on the same night, Ursa disappeared. Azula's father became the new Fire Lord, and Azula decided it was time to move forward her team's preparation.

She herself was progressing rapidly with her firebending. She'd even overheard her teachers discussing something about 'cold fire'.

Ty Lee; now having somewhere to practice away from her parents and sisters; had become so adept at acrobatics, that she often appeared to be flying. Azula felt that her talents would best be put to use in hand-to-hand combat.

That left Mai. Azula had long been convinced that Mai's personality would make her a formidable fighter in the art of knife-throwing. She could be ruthless when she had a mind to be; and her bored, almost sluggish, manner hid razor-sharp reflexes and a keen eye.

One day, when Mai and Ty Lee arrived at the palace for one of their regular visits, they were surprised to see some archery targets had been set up in the palace garden. Azula stepped out from behind them, holding some practice darts. The kind with suction cups instead of blades.

"I was thinking we might try some throwing practice." She said cheerfully. "Just for fun."

Mai and Ty Lee exchanged looks but didn't argue. They'd learnt that, when Azula suggested something - it wasn't a suggestion.

Azula's aim wasn't too bad. Her throws all landed within the inner circle, but none hit the bull's-eye.

Ty Lee wasn't as successful. Some of her throws landed outside the target area, and one missed the board.

Mai threw her darts without any real effort, and mostly hit around the middle circle.

"Oh come now, Mai. You can do better than that." Said Azula.

Mai shrugged.

"This is stupid." She said jadedly. However, Azula wasn't put off.

"Well then, let's make it more interesting." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small folded contraption. With a flick, a blade slipped into sight and revealed it to be a throwing knife.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Ty Lee said, looking at the weapon nervously.

"Yes. I suppose you could injure yourself if you make a mistake." Azula then looked directly at Mai. "But isn't that what makes it exciting?"

Mai held Azula's gaze for a while, and then took the knife. She held the blade up before her, seeing her eye reflected in the metal.

Her arm then whipped out, and a split second later, the knife was stuck quivering in the centre of the bull's-eye.

"Wow…" Ty Lee looked at the target in astonishment. Azula smiled and leant in close to Mai.

"Bet you can't do that again."

--

Azula's arms and legs moved in ever quickening strikes; each one releasing a burst of blue flame. She tried to get in at least two hours practice a day. Despite what some thought; her mastery of firebending wasn't down to talent alone.

Finally, she brought the kata to a halt and wiped an arm across her brow. As she turned to leave the dojo, she noticed that she'd had a spectator.

Ty Lee was standing just outside the doorway. Her eyes were shining with admiration.

"Azula, that was amazing! I've never seen blue firebending before."

Azula shrugged nonchalantly.

"What can I say? Some of us were just born to shine."

Ty Lee cast her eyes downward.

"Yeah. I wish I could firebend. Then I'd really stand out."

Azula saw this as a prime opportunity to introduce Ty Lee to her chosen fighting style. She began to walk down the hall, and motioned for the other girl to follow.

"You know Ty Lee, as perfect a style as firebending seems to be; it is not without its' weaknesses.

Did you know that a firebender's power is directly linked to the sun? We are stronger during the day, than we are at night. And we are much more vulnerable during winter, when the days are shorter."

The princess and her companion entered the palace library. Azula continued talking, and none of the librarians told her to lower her voice.

"I tell you this, because it is important to remember that _everything_ in this world has its' strengths and weaknesses. Rather than focusing on your own weakness; your inability to firebend; you should realize your strength, such as your speed and agility."

Azula came to a stop beside a book shelf. She turned around to face Ty Lee.

"You're often talking about auras, and a person's spiritual energy, aren't you?"

The girl perked up. She was always happy to discuss that topic.

"Yeah. It's fantastic. A person's aura is defined by their mood, their experiences -"

Azula held up a hand, stopping her.

"Well, I did a little checking up on it, myself. And it seems that the idea is biological, rather than just spiritual." She took a book off the shelf and handed it to Ty Lee. "I think you'll find this a very fascinating read."

Ty Lee looked down at the title of the book.

_The Pathways of Chi in the Human Body_

She looked up again, and was startled to see Azula was now stood directly in front of her.

"Tell me, Ty Lee. Have you ever heard of something called the Dim Mak?

--

Over the next four years, a number of things changed in Azula's life.

First, there was her brother's banishment. The idiot had shot his mouth off during a war council; and he was made to pay the price.

Azula was there to see Fire Lord Ozai towering over Zuko, who was on his knees begging for their father's forgiveness. He was actually _crying_. Seeing him take that fireball to the face was one of the most satisfying moments of Azula's young life.

And to make the situation even better; their sentimental uncle decided to go with Zuko. It was like Fate had stepped in and removed all the weak elements of their family. Now, it was just Azula and her father.

Mai didn't take the news of Zuko's exile well and, for a few weeks, was even more gloomy than usual.

Ty Lee seemed to be disturbed with the callous attitude Azula showed to her brother's departure. She seemed to think that, because Zuko was of her blood, Azula was somehow obligated to care about his wellbeing.

However, as time passed, things resumed a sense of normality. That is; until Ty Lee dropped a small bombshell.

"You're running away to join the circus?" Mai looked at her friend blankly. "I didn't think people actually did that."

The three girls, now in their early teens, were in the palace gardens. Evening was approaching, and Ty Lee had waited until she was just about to leave before telling them.

"Please don't tell anyone." Ty Lee had her hands clasped by her chest; her face pleading. "I know it sounds crazy, but I really feel that this is the direction my life is meant to take. It's… it's my calling."

Azula had to admit; she hadn't seen this coming. But then, this could prove beneficial. A taste of independence might do Ty Lee some good. Give her some experience in the outside world.

Besides, if Azula ever had need of her, she'd know where to find her.

"If that's what you've decided, then who are we to stand in your way." She said in her friendliest tone.

Ty Lee looked like she was about to cry, but instead threw her arms around Azula in a hug. Something Azula still wasn't quite used to. She then moved on to Mai.

"I'm going to miss you guys so much! I promise I'll write."

After several equally sentimental statements and promises, Ty Lee left. Azula watched her go, and then turned to look at Mai. It was hard to tell with the usually stoic girl, but she almost looked… dejected.

"Why Mai, don't tell me you're actually going to miss Ty Lee. I thought you found her a little… bouncy."

"At least she wasn't boring." Mai replied with a shrug, and left to go home.

Some time later, it was Mai's turn to leave. Her father had been given the task of governing the recently captured Earth Kingdom city Omashu. Mai was to live there with her parents, and a now two-year-old brother Tom-Tom.

"Well, I guess this is it." Mai stood on the dock before a ship bound for the Earth Kingdom.

"Now Mai, don't talk like we're never going to see each other again." Azula said amicably.

"I don't know. There's a good chance I'll die of boredom, stuck in some Earth Kingdom town."

Mai's parents joined them. They made a show of stating how honored they had been to have the great Princess Azula show such friendship to their daughter. Mai bowed along with them, but deliberately rolled her eyes at their display. Azula's mouth twitched at the gesture.

Soon enough, Mai's ship had sailed and Azula returned to the palace with her escort. Upon arriving home, Azula found herself wandering the palace gardens. Everything seemed much more still without Ty Lee cartwheeling all over the place, or Mai scaring the birds off with her knife-throwing. As strange as it was, Azula realized that she'd gotten used to having the two girls around.

Still, she'd never been one to dwell on pointless matters. Azula went back to focusing on her firebending; able to commit even more time to her training now that she was alone again.

However, it wasn't long after Mai had left that Azula was called into the Royal Chamber by her father. There, they had one of their interesting talks. It concerned the North Pole, and her brother Zuko.

--

It had been a very successful day for Azula.

Zuko had proven to be as predictable as ever, and had joined her in her fight against the avatar. Their traitorous uncle was now her prisoner, and the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se had fallen to the Fire Nation.

But, probably the best of all was that she had done the unthinkable. She had struck down the avatar. Azula didn't know for certain whether the lightning had killed him. That Water Tribe girl had spirited him away before anyone had had a chance to make sure. The chances of him surviving were slim, but she thought it best to have a back-up plan – just in case.

She now stood in what had once been the Earth King's throne room. She was back in her Fire Nation colours, as were Mai and Ty Lee. Azula looked proudly at her companions. Her father's words came back to her. She had chosen her friends well, and they had ensured her success.

"Ladies, I propose a toast."

Azula picked a cup of tea off of a side table. Mai and Ty Lee did likewise.

"To the Fire Nation."

She then beckoned her cup to the two girls before her.

"To friendship."

Ty Lee beamed and Mai indulged her with one of her rare smiles. Azula held her cup up high.

"And to success."

Three cups clinked.


	3. Teachings

Toph hated not being able to see. This didn't apply to seeing in the conventional sense, with her eyes. Having never experienced that; what was there to miss?

What she hated was not being able to see through her earthbending. She could get by just fine on rock, soil and even metal, once she'd figured out how. She might even be able to navigate her way over sand, given time and practice.

But there were some substances on which she was still truly blind. Such as wood.

Or water.

"Come on, Toph. The water isn't that cold." Aang called out encouragingly. He was standing up to his waist in a lake near where the group had spent the night. His short black hair was already wet from his morning swim.

"I don't care about the temperature. I'm still not getting in." Toph hollered back.

Aang had been mentioning swimming lessons for Toph for the past couple of days. Toph hadn't really taken him seriously. She had thought it was just one of the fanciful whims that he got from time to time.

So she hadn't expected to be shaken awake that morning by the excited air nomad, and dragged to the lake while still half asleep. But once her feet had made contact with the water, she'd quickly backtracked until she was on firm dry land again. And so far she had refused to budge, despite Aang's coaxing.

"We won't go in too deep." He said assuredly. "And I'll be beside you the whole time, in case you get scared."

The second the words had left his mouth, Aang knew that had been the wrong thing to say. And the look on Toph's face confirmed it. He knew how much she hated even the implication that she needed looking after.

"I didn't mean it like that." He said, trying to rectify the situation.

"Forget it." Toph raised a dismissive hand and turned to walk back to the camp.

"Wait, wait! Don't go." Aang splashed noisily towards dry land, before using a gust of wind to vault himself through the air, landing in front of the earthbender.

"Come on, Toph." He said pleadingly. "Can we at least tread some water?"

Toph put her hands on her hips.

"Why are you so being so gritty about this?" She asked.

Aang held his hands behind his back and ran his foot along the ground.

"I just wanted to teach you something." He said quietly.

Toph raised a questioning eyebrow, so Aang decided to clarify.

"Ever since I found out I was the avatar, I've had to learn a lot of stuff. Not just about bending; but about the world, and about people. I've had so many teachers. There was Monk Gyatso, Avatar Roku, Katara, you…" He shuffled his foot again. "You've all given me so much. I just wanted to give something back."

Toph crossed her arms and let out a sigh.

"If you want to give something back, then remember what we taught you and use it to defeat the Fire Lord. That's payment enough for me."

"Okay." Aang nodded, his eyes down to the ground.

Toph then motioned towards the lake with her head.

"So… are we doing this, or not?"

Aang's eyes widened with surprise. But he quickly shook it off and grinned. He grabbed Toph's hand and started running back to the water.

"Thanks Toph. This is going to be fun, I promise."

"Well, don't expect me to start doing the breaststroke. I just want to know how to keep my head above the water."

"Sure, no problem. Now where's that snorkel I made?"

--

Katara watched Sokka practicing with his sword. He grasped the dark-bladed weapon firmly in his right hand. The other was held out before him, as if beckoning to an invisible opponent. He then began to sweep, slash and stab in perfectly performed movements and steps.

Katara couldn't help but feel proud at the disciplined way her brother was approaching his training. He'd come a long way from the boisterous, somewhat immature teenager he'd been at the start of their journey. He'd really grown up.

'_Zing! Zing! Firebenders beware! Here comes Swordmaster Sokka and his mighty spaceblade! Zing!_'

Sokka grinned to himself as he imagined a group of Fire Nation soldiers falling before his masterful sword techniques. He stepped forward to dispatch a particularly large imaginary foe, but his foot tripped over a rock. Managing to stifle a scream, Sokka placed his hand on the ground and vaulted himself over, landing firmly on his feet.

It took him a second to realize what he'd done but, once he had, the big grin returned. He thought back to what Piandao had said about him. That he was creative and imaginative. And, that it was those qualities that would make him a great swordsman.

He looked at his weapon and thought about his technique. So far, he'd been using pretty basic moves. Time for something imaginative.

"Hey, Katara!" He called out to his sister, who he knew had been watching. "Check this out. I bet the firebenders won't be expecting this."

Sokka held his sword up by his shoulder with the blade facing forward. He dashed ahead, looking like he was about to perform a wide slash. But instead he drove the tip of his sword into the ground and, using it as an anchor, swung his body around in a circling kick. Any opponents, no matter what side they'd have been attacking from, would've been struck by the impressive move.

…Or, that would've been the case, had Sokka stuck his sword into the ground a little more firmly. As it was, he was halfway through his move when the weapon came loose. A clump of earth was dislodged and sent skyward. Sokka fell and landed hard on his rear. Before he even had time to groan and rub the afflicted area; the earth clod landed on his head, covering him with dirt.

"I bet you're right." Katara chuckled at her brother's appearance. She walked up and pulled him to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."

She took his hand and led him towards the lake. As they passed the camp, she could see Appa still dozing, and Momo eating some wild berries. But there was no sign of Aang or Toph. She wondered what those two could be up to.

--

Toph's head burst through the water's surface, coughing and spluttering.

"This is _not_ fun!" She said decisively.

"You need to relax more." Aang said, holding her firmly under the arms. "Water isn't like earth. Being hard and stubborn won't do you any good here. The less you fight against the water, the easier it is to stay afloat. Now just kick gently."

Toph took a deep breath and tried to follow Aang's instructions. However, being so used to bracing herself and standing firm against the elements; it wasn't easy to just let go and allow one to take control.

Aang could feel Toph's muscles gradually start to loosen. The water wasn't rippling around her as much either. She seemed to be getting the hang of it.

"Okay Toph, that's great." He said encouragingly. "Keep that up, and make circling motions with your arms. Like this."

He took hold of one of his friend's wrists and began moving her arm in the way needed. Toph responded and her body started to feel lighter to Aang.

"That's it. You're doing it!"

Toph couldn't help but find the excitement in Aang's voice contagious, and she grinned at her accomplishment.

"Okay. I'm going to let go now. Are you ready?"

Let go? She wasn't so sure it was time for that yet. But then Aang tightened his grip on her ever so slightly and spoke sincerely,

"You can do this Toph."

She didn't respond at first, but finally let out a small sigh and nodded.

'_How does he do it?_' Toph thought to herself. '_How does he make people instantly believe everything he says? Is it a part of his avatar powers, or is it just him?_'

Aang slowly relinquished his hold on Toph. He swam back a bit to allow her some room, and watched.

Toph continued the motions Aang had shown her but she kept her mouth shut, expecting it to become filled with water at any moment. But, to her surprise, nothing of the sort happened.

"Yes!" Aang threw his arms up in victory. "I knew you could do it, Toph. You're treading water!"

Toph turned herself around, so that she was facing Aang. She was trying to keep from giggling from the thrill of what she was doing.

"Yeah, check me out. I'm practically a waterbender!"

"Looking good, Toph!"

"Yeah, you've caught on quick."

On hearing Sokka and Katara's voices, Toph instantly stiffened up. Aang turned around to see his Water Tribe friends stood on the shore of the lake. He waved to them cheerfully.

"Hey guys. Only one lesson and she's already treading water. How good of a teacher am I?" He jerked a thumb at his chest, grinning proudly.

The brother and sister smiled back at him. But those smiles then turned to looks of horror, and they both pointed at the water behind him.

"Aang!"

He looked over his shoulder at Toph, only to see empty water with bubbles bursting on the surface. The grin practically dropped from his face and he dived under.

--

Toph's internal eyes gradually opened as she felt dry earth under her body once again. Her ears also quickly resumed their function and she became aware of three concerned voices coming from above her.

"Is she okay, Aang? Is she breathing?"

"I don't know. Sokka, give her the kiss of life."

"No way. My kiss kills girls!"

Toph held her hand her hand up in a halting motion.

"Nobody kiss me!"

She sat upright, waving off any offers of help. Some of her wet hair had come loose and felt heavy on her shoulders and back. She took a handful and started squeezing the water out.

"Aang, I think I'll pass on the swimming lessons from now on." She said.

"What? You can't give up." Aang responded in near pleading. "Up until the near drowning, you were doing great."

"Yeah. Why not give it another go?" Sokka said in agreement.

"It's just not my thing. I'm an earthbender. I belong on dry land. – And, before you say it, Katara." Toph's arm shot out to point at the Water Tribe girl, who'd just opened her mouth. "I am not avoiding trying because I'm afraid of failing, and looking weak."

Katara looked at the aimed finger, and then said calmly,

"I was only going to offer to bend the water out of your hair."

"Oh… sorry."

Katara set to work, lifting the globules of liquid from her friend's head. She then looked at Toph and said,

"But since you brought it up."

"Grrrrr!" Toph brought her hands up to her ears, only to have Aang take them down again.

"Toph, when you were teaching me earthbending, you said it wasn't enough to just do the moves. That I had to think like an earthbender too."

As he spoke, he gave Toph a hard poke to the chest. This took the blind girl by surprise, and stopped her from interrupting.

"You said; a true earthbender never shies away from any challenge. That they always stand firm, and face whatever life throws at them head on."

He stood up straight with his arms crossed and voice stern.

"So are you a true earthbender, or not?"

Toph stayed silent for a while, before finally speaking.

"You really do remember everything we teach you, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Aang's tone became cheerful again. "And how could I forget your lessons. You practically beat them into me."

Toph smiled and let out a small sigh.

'_Darn it. He's done it again._'

"Okay. If it'll make you happy, I'll keep having the dumb swimming lessons."

"Fantastic!" Aang grinned and stood tall, saying with mock severity, "And, from now on, you will address me as sifu Aang."

"Don't push it, Twinkletoes."


	4. Time and Change

The Southern Water Tribe had more than halved in size since the beginning of the war. However, they were still a proud people and they strived to form a proper welcome for the Northern Water Tribe ship that was approaching their shores.

Stood at the head of the welcoming party was Khana or, as she'd been affectionately dubbed, Gram-Gram. She'd become a sort of surrogate grandmother to the children of the tribe, whose fathers had left to fight the Fire Nation.

Also, with Chief Hakoda away, and Khana being the oldest member of the tribe; she had taken on a position of leadership. So the others looked to her to greet their northern brethren.

As the ship pulled up to the icy shore, several figures appeared on its' prow. They began to move their arms in a way that none present, except Khana, had ever seen before. They were waterbenders.

Under their guidance, the water surrounding their ship rose up and solidified into ice. It ended up forming a makeshift harbor for the nautical vessel. As the gangplanks were lowered, Khana strode forward with two other women of the tribe behind her.

A group of men walked down the gangplank towards the greeting party. Leading them was an elderly man who, despite his age, walked straight and tall. His clear blue eyes widened slightly as he approached Khana, but he kept his face impassive and waited for the woman to speak.

"Welcome, our brothers, to the Southern Water…" Khana trailed off as she suddenly got a good look at the man's face. Seeing the realization in her eyes, he smiled and nodded, as if answering the question that had formed in her mind.

"Pakku..."

"Khana." Pakku gave his one-time fiancé an appraising look, and then said, "You've certainly aged."

Both the northern and southern tribe members flinched as a smacking sound rang out. The southern women watched Khana march back towards the village with a glowering face. The northern men looked at Pakku, who was sitting on his rear holding a hand to his cheek.

"Well, _that_ brought back some memories." He said with a roll of his eyes.

--

All throughout the village, the northern waterbenders were using their abilities to fortify the defenses and raise some new buildings. The southern tribe members looked in awe at the structures made of solid ice. Most of them had spent so long sleeping in tents and igloos that they'd almost forgotten how the village used to be.

Khana was stood on a snowy rise, watching the work. Over the past few days, her small village had seemingly undergone a transformation. Seeing what it was now starting to resemble was awaking memories in Khana's mind. Memories she'd long thought had faded.

"Reminds you of home; doesn't it?"

She saw Pakku approaching out of the corner of her eye.

"The South Pole is my home." She answered shortly.

Pakku's breath showed in the cold air as he exhaled in frustration. He hadn't expected Khana to run into his arms, but it would be nice if she'd at least act like she was happy to see him.

"Care to join me for a walk." He indicated with his head the white plains surrounding the village. Khana stayed silent for a moment, and then nodded.

The two of them strolled leisurely over the snow. It proved to be no difficulty for them due to a lifetime of traversing the seemingly harsh environment. The only difficulty was trying to strike up a conversation.

Pakku would occasionally open his mouth, only to shut it again in the absence of anything to say. Sometimes Khana would half turn to face him, as if to say something herself, but seemed to change her mind at the last moment.

The waterbending master let out another irritated sigh. He remembered, in their youth, that he and Khana had spoken quite freely to each other. Although, most of those conversations had ended up as screaming matches – but it was still better than this awkward silence.

Finally Khana brought up a topic they could easily talk about.

"So, how're my grandchildren?"

"Last I saw them; they were headed to Omashu with the avatar." Pakku replied. "He should've started his earthbending training by now."

He absently lifted some snow droplets from the ground, and let them dance over his hand.

"I just hope he remembers to keep up his waterbending with Katara."

"Ah, yes." A knowing smile started to form on Khana's face. "Do you still have that law forbidding women to learn waterbending?"

"Yes, we do." Pakku answered curtly, guessing at what was coming next.

"And how did Katara react when you told her that?"

Pakku looked out at the ice burgs sticking out of the ocean, refusing to look at Khana as he answered.

"She called me a sour old man, and smacked me around the head with a water whip."

"Good girl."

"What?"

"Nothing."

He looked back to Khana, but the woman was keeping her face neutral. Rather than risk falling back into silence, he chose to keep the conversation going.

"I'm actually surprised at myself for not recognizing Katara as your granddaughter earlier than I did. She does bare an uncanny resemblance to you when you were young." A wry smile adorned his face. "She also has your stubbornness, and disrespect for tradition."

The smile suddenly disappeared, and Pakku's eyes seemed to lose some of their shine.

"But it wasn't until I saw my necklace that I realized who she was."

Khana turned her head to look at Pakku. He was now the one staring straight ahead. She hadn't thought that he would still feel bad after all these years. Or rather, she'd tried not to think about it.

Pakku stopped walking.

"Why did you keep it, Khana?"

The question was spoken so softly that she almost didn't catch it. Before she could ask him to clarify, Pakku continued.

"Clearly, you hated the idea of marrying me so much, that you were willing to leave your home and tribe. So why keep my betrothal necklace? I figured you'd thrown it into the ocean, the night you'd left." He turned to face her, and there was no mistaking the hardness in his eyes. "If nothing else Khana, I think you owe me an explanation for that."

Khana took a slow breath before answering. She wanted to make sure that she worded this right. For everything Pakku had meant, or not meant, to her; she had no desire to cause him pain.

"I never hated you, Pakku." She said. "Yes, there were some aspects of your personality that I found… trying; but I still cared for you."

"Just not enough to become my wife." Pakku said tersely.

"Pakku, I was sixteen." Khana began to speak with more force, as if trying to hammer through the invisible wall she could practically feel between them.

"If I had married you, that would've been it for me. I would have tended your home, raised your children; your grandchildren; and never would've left the North Pole. I wasn't ready for that to be my life."

Khana's hand reached out suddenly and grasped Pakku's.

"Please understand. It was the North Pole I was running away from. Not you."

Pakku just stared at Khana's hand for a moment, seemingly lost for words. He then looked up at her face.

"Khana, if you weren't being forced into the marriage; if things had been allowed to happen on their own; do you think…?"

She gave a small shrug.

"I don't know." A genuine smile then appeared on her face. "I might have ended up killing you."

Pakku's face fell, but only for a moment. The two of them laughed softly, releasing each other's hands and continuing their walk. There was another silence between them, but this was much more comfortable than the previous.

Khana was watching some penguins waddling by when Pakku spoke up again.

"So, all the men of your tribe are away fighting the Fire Nation?"

"Yes. They left two years ago." Khana replied.

"Hm, no wonder the place is in such disarray."

Khana turned and glared at Pakku. He had that condescending look on his face, which he'd always had as a teenager.

"You really haven't changed, Pakku." She said.

"Thank you." He smiled smugly.

Khana rolled her eyes and reached into her sleeve.

"But you're right. I don't know how we women have survived this long without any men around. It's not like we have any special skills. Would you mind holding this?"

"Certainly. I – What the…?"

Pakku looked down at the small fish Khana had handed him from her sleeve. Before he could voice a question, he was knocked off his feet by a mob of penguins.

"Khana!"

The Water Tribe woman kept walking with her own smug smile.

Pakku pushed a penguin out of his face and looked after her. The corners of his mouth rose.

"You really haven't changed either."


	5. Adrift

Things had not been going well recently for Prince Zuko.

Granted, his life over the past three years hadn't exactly been picnics and rainbows; but the last couple of weeks had brought his fortune down to an all-new low.

First, Admiral Zhao had taken his crew for a campaign to the North Pole, effectively leaving his ship stranded at port. And then, to add injury to insult, had had some gutless pirates try to kill him by blowing the ship up. Zuko owed his life to some quick firebending shielding him from the brunt of the explosion.

Seeing a chance to turn this disaster into an opportunity, Zuko had stowed away on Zhao's ship with the help of his uncle. Venturing alone into the heart of the Northern Water Tribe was a risky endeavor to say the least; but he had been determined to get to the avatar before Zhao did.

Zuko had encountered some unexpected resistance from the Southern Water Tribe peasant that had been traveling with the avatar. He'd met her a couple of times and had seen her to be very much a novice at waterbending. However, as they fought, he'd quickly discovered that she was not such a novice anymore. And with the power of the full moon on her side, Zuko had found himself beaten and trapped in ice.

The prince of the Fire Nation bested by a Water Tribe commoner. As if he hadn't suffered enough humiliation.

Fortunately, as the sun rose, he was revived in both body and spirit. He was then able to easily put that waterbender in her place and take the avatar.

What had followed was an exhausting trek through a frozen tundra, a near drowning due to some very thin ice and a violent blizzard forcing him to seek shelter in a cave.

Just as the storm was clearing up, the avatar's friends arrived to rescue him; and the southern waterbender was with them.

She was fortunate that Zuko was weak from the cold and lack of food; or that fight would've gone very differently – or so he would tell himself many times afterwards.

The next series of events seemed like a blur when Zuko looked back on them. They had happened so fast.

Admiral Zhao; the man who had insulted his honor, tried everything to keep him from capturing the avatar and had even made an attempt on his life. When Zuko saw him, he forgot about the avatar and everything else that was going on around him. He just had to settle the score.

Feeling his anger fuel the fire within him, Zuko battled ferociously against his enemy. Taking advantage of an opening, he forced the admiral to the ground. Just as he was contemplating whether or not he could actually finish Zhao, (As much as he hated the man, he was still a fellow Fire Nation soldier.) something made the decision for him.

It was some kind of huge water spirit. Zuko didn't know what its' name was. He wasn't exactly learned in Water Tribe culture. But there was no doubt in his mind that the avatar was responsible for it being there.

It grabbed Zhao and dragged him into the water. Zuko had tried to save him, but the admiral had chosen to die rather than accept help from a disgraced prince.

After the spirit vanished, Zuko's anger and strength seemed to just drain away. He barely registered his uncle leading him to a raft he'd prepared, and their leaving the North Pole. As he closed his eyes to finally get some sleep, he thought to himself about how he had had enough of water, or anything to do with the accursed element.

So his rather emotive reaction upon awakening to find himself and his uncle hopelessly adrift, and surrounded by the stuff, was justified in his opinion.

--

Iroh glanced over at his nephew. After he'd finished screaming, Zuko had sat down by the mast and had barely spoken or moved since. They'd now been drifting for about a week, and any hope of being picked up by one of the surviving Fire Navy ships had greatly dwindled.

Experience suggested that any attempt to consol him would only be brushed off, or met with aggression; but Iroh was going to try anyway. If for nothing else than to remind Zuko that he wasn't alone in this.

"I'm sure once the sun goes down, we'll be able to get a better idea of where we are." He said in a hopeful tone. "Your uncle's not too shabby at reading the stars."

"It makes no difference where we are." Zuko answered with barely restrained frustration. "We haven't moved in days. The sea's as still as a rock."

The prince stood up and began to pace back and forth.

"Right now, I'd give anything to be a waterbender, so that I could get a current going. Or even an airbender, so that I could get some wind into these sails." He pointed at the sheets hanging motionlessly from the mast.

Iroh ran a hand through his beard, trying to look at their situation in a way that didn't suggest they were going to die of hunger and thirst. A sharp cry drew his attention skywards. Two sea vultures were circling overhead; their beady eyes narrowed seemingly in anticipation of a meal.

"Okay, so maybe this is very bad." The former general placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "But the good thing about bad situations is that they can only get better."

Their raft bucked underneath them, almost knocking the two men off their feet.

"What was that?" Zuko stepped to the edge of the raft and peered into the water, trying to see if they had hit something.

From where he was standing, Iroh could see a large dark shape moving just below the surface towards Zuko. The water parted as a bluish-grey spiraled shell appeared.

"Zuko!" Iroh grabbed the back of his nephew's shirt and pulled him away from the raft's edge. A split second afterwards, the head of a huge creature broke through the surface and snapped its' jaws in the air where Zuko's head had just been.

"It's a snailshark!"

Iroh and Zuko stood with their backs to the mast, watching the animal's shell circling their raft. Its' head breached the surface again, showing its' black eyes atop of two fleshy stalks, and a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth.

Zuko threw a fist towards the fish, letting loose a ball of flame. The snailshark retreated into its' shell and dropped out of sight below the surface. The raft then bucked again as it was hit from below. The creature's shell reappeared a little further out and began circling the craft.

"What was that you were saying about things getting better, Uncle?" Zuko looked at Iroh with narrowed eyes.

"We're safe here on the raft." Iroh replied assuredly. "I'm sure it'll give up and go away in a few hours. A day tops."

(A week later)

Zuko sat watching the snailshark's shell circling the raft. It had become one of his only distractions during the long empty days on the water. The other one was to lie back and watch the sea vultures circling overhead.

There had been a spatter of rainfall a couple of days earlier, so he and his uncle had some water. Unfortunately, the only containers to hand had been their less than fresh footwear.

And they still had no food, due to the snailshark scaring away all the other fish in the area. He'd tried attacking it with firebending, but its' shell and tough skin seemed impervious to the flames. The hunger pangs in Zuko's stomach had now gone from being unpleasant to painful.

"That does it." Zuko pulled himself upright, awakening Iroh who'd been dozing.

"Wh-what?" Iroh rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked up to see Zuko taking the sail down. "Zuko, what're you doing?"

"I'm going to catch us some food." The prince started tying some rope from the mast to the corners of the sail, forming it into a makeshift net.

"But you know there aren't any fish around." Iroh stood up warily.

"Actually, I was planning on having poultry for dinner." Zuko gave a wry smile and pointed up to the sea vultures.

Iroh looked up at the scavenger birds and then back to Zuko.

"You want to eat Feng and Howin?"

Zuko gaped at his uncle.

"You _named_ them?! Uncle, those things have been trying to pluck out our livers for -" Zuko stopped and took a deep breath. "Never mind. This is what we're going to do. I'm going to climb up the mast and you're going to send some fire up there to scare the birds towards me."

Zuko took hold of the mast and started scaling up to the top. Iroh took up a stance, ready to shoot a fireball skywards. He felt a little bad about what he was about to do, but the rumbling in his stomach reminded him that this was a matter of survival.

Upon reaching the top, Zuko signaled to Iroh that he was ready and held the sail open. Both men had their eyes on the sea vultures, so they did not see the snailshark speeding towards the raft. It hit the vessel just as Iroh was letting loose a fireball.

The raft tipped dangerously, knocking Iroh off balance. His fireball hit the mast just below Zuko, breaking through the wood and sending the prince falling towards the water.

He landed instead on the snailshark's back, with the sail wrapped around its' shell. The beast twisted and turned, trying to get rid of its' unwanted passenger. It dove underwater and then leapt into the air again and again. All Zuko could do was hold on for his life. But the lack of air coupled with the animal's momentum soon caused him to lose his grip, and he was thrown from the fish's back.

Landing in the water and quickly going under, Zuko thrust himself to the surface and took in several lungfuls of air. He then turned his attention back to the snailshark. The animal was speeding towards him.

The logical part of Zuko's brain told him that there was no way he could outswim the beast; but the part that contained the urge for survival told him to try anyway.

Iroh stood on the edge of the raft and watched his nephew swimming towards him. The snailshark was closing in fast. Zuko would not make it in time.

"Zuko, get down!"

The prince saw his uncle fall back into a familiar stance, and instantly dove under the water. At the same time, the snailshark opened its' jaws wide to bite down on its' prey.

Iroh sent a huge fireball rocketing into the beast's mouth and down its' throat. Smoke billowed from the animal's eyes and nostrils as it was cooked from the inside.

Zuko surfaced to see a dead snailshark floating next to him, with the sea vultures already circling the carcass. His head turned when he heard his uncle call to him.

"I know you were planning on poultry, but I haven't had cooked fish in a while." Iroh grinned at him in such a way that Zuko couldn't help but smile back.

--

Another week had passed. The snailshark incident had provided Zuko and Iroh with some much needed food, but had left them without a sail. They were now sitting beside the shortened mast with the ever present sea vultures circling overhead.

"Uncle…" Iroh looked up at the sound of his nephew's voice. "Listen, in case we never make it back to land; I'm sorry I got you into this."

Iroh turned to face Zuko, but the prince's eyes were firmly glued to the deck of their raft.

"I'm the one who was exiled, not you. You shouldn't even be out here. And it was my crazy idea to go to the North Pole which got us stranded like this."

Zuko felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see Iroh smiling warmly at him.

"Zuko, there is no need for apologies. I came with you because I wanted to. What sort of uncle would I be if I let my only nephew face exile alone?"

Iroh then looked up at the clear sky and his voice took on a philosophical tone.

"As for where we are now; you have to learn to accept that there are some things in life that are beyond our control. Also, that while some events in our lives may seem cruel and unfair at the time; when looked back on, they often are seen as having worked out for the best."

"And how exactly is _this _working out for the best?" Zuko asked. Iroh stroked his beard in thought.

"Well, we've got to spend some quality time together; just the two of us."

"Yes, fighting off wild animals and drinking rainwater from our boots."

Iroh chuckled.

"Well, look on the bright side. Things can't get any -"

Zuko whirled around and clapped his hand over Iroh's mouth.

"Don't say it. A whole shoal of snailsharks might show up!"

Just then a booming noise, akin to someone blowing a horn sounded out. The two men looked up to see a very welcome sight coming towards them.

"It's a ship!"

Iroh and Zuko could see the Fire Nation emblem hanging on the side of the vessel. It wasn't built like a warship, so that meant it had to be a convoy ship set for the colonies in the Earth Kingdom. They both stood up and started waving their arms; shouting to get the ship's attention.

A figure appeared on the ship's bow and started making motions to the rest of the crew. The vessel began to turn towards the raft.

Zuko threw his arms up and let out a cry of elation. They were being rescued. They were going to survive.

He felt Iroh's hand on his shoulder; turned around and hugged the old man. A second later, he realized what he was doing and quickly disengaged himself. Iroh smiled at his nephew as Zuko straightened up and tried to look uninterested, as the Royal Prince should do.

As they boarded the ship, Zuko watched the two sea vultures flying away. They were cawing angrily at having lost their promising meal. He allowed himself a satisfied smirk. Considering everything he'd survived so far; maybe there was some truth to what his uncle had said.

From here on, things could only get better.


	6. Little Waterbender

"Katara, get back here!"

At six years old, Sokka could hardly be described as a man yet. But he still took what he considered to be his 'manly duties' very seriously. The most prominent of these duties was the care and protection of his younger sister Katara.

But she however didn't seem to appreciate her role in this; namely staying by her brother, and away from potential danger, at all times.

Giggling in anticipation, Katara reached the top of the snowy hill, where a flock of penguins had gathered. She quickly picked out the one she wanted and presented the animal with a small fish that she had snuck out of the village's food storage. The penguin waddled over to her and sniffed at the fish in her hand.

Suddenly, Sokka's head appeared over the crest of the hill, and Katara frowned as her bossy brother pointed a gloved finger at her.

"Katara, don't you dare give that fish to that penguin."

Katara just stared at him pointedly while, at the same time, she held her arm out and dropped the fish on the ground. The penguin got down on its' belly and scooped the fish into its' mouth.

Sokka's eyes narrowed at this disobedience, and he started to wag his pointed finger to show he was serious.

"You are _not_ getting on its' back."

Katara, still indifferent to her brother's demands, climbed onto the penguin.

"Katara I swear," Sokka was now pointing at her with both hands. "If you go down that hill; I'll… I'll… I'll tell Mom!"

Katara looked Sokka's way, stuck her tongue out and disappeared down the hill on the penguin's back.

"Gah!" Sokka scrambled over to the hillside and watched his sister careening down the white slope at a very unsafe looking speed.

"Oh no. If she dies, I'll get grounded!"

Getting to his feet, he grabbed hold of a penguin and attempted to climb onto its' back. However, the animal had other ideas. It kicked and slapped at Sokka with its' flippers knocking the boy back towards the slippery edge of the hill.

Feeling one foot hanging in space, Sokka waved his arms around and just managed to keep his balance on a single leg.

The penguin then waddled up to him and nudged him in the chest, sending the blue-clad child rolling down the hill.

"Wheeeee!"

Katara sped down the hillside on her furry mount while, not that far behind her, Sokka barreled painfully through the snow.

Finally, the ground evened out and the penguin came to a stop. It stood up, letting Katara slide off its' back, and wandered away. Katara, still filled with adrenaline from the ride, sat giggling to herself. She threw her arms up with delight – and that's when it happened.

The snow underneath her suddenly rose up like a fountain, lifting her up with it. Katara let out a fearful yelp and covered her eyes but, just as soon as it had started, the snow's movement stopped.

Taking her hands away from her eyes, Katara looked down to see that she was on the top of a mound of fresh snow, buried up to her waist. She glanced around to try and see what might have caused the strange happening, but found nothing. She then tried to extract herself from the snow, only to find that she was stuck tight.

A little way off, Katara's brother was climbing out of a Sokka-shaped pit at the base of the hill. Everything was still spinning for the boy as he tried to get his bearings. Stumbling forward, he suddenly bumped into the pile of snow that had just mysteriously sprung up. Stepping back and wiping the snow from his face, he looked up to see the top half of his sister staring back at him.

"Katara? What are you doing up there?" Sokka began to climb up the mound towards his sibling.

"I don't know. The snow just suddenly grabbed me." Katara tried again in vain to free herself. "And now it won't let go."

Sokka reached her and took hold of her arms.

"Snow doesn't just grab people." He said as he heaved on her. "You must've done something to loosen it."

Despite his best efforts, Sokka was unable to pull his little sister free.

"It's really packed tight." He said. "I'll try to break it up."

He climbed down a little way and, reaching into his coat, pulled out a small whalebone club that his father had carved for him. He then set to work, whacking at the tightly packed snow.

"I'll get you out, Katara. Don't worry."

Katara wasn't really worried; more annoyed. Now that the surprise had worn off, she'd decided that she had had enough of being stuck, and would like to be free again. But the snow wasn't cooperating.

"Stupid snow." She said, raising her arm up. "Let go!"

She brought her arm down to give the snow a hard tap, like one would a naughty arctic wolf pup; but before she'd even touched it, the snow slid away beneath her. She was now sitting on level ground, as if nothing had happened.

Her confusion was interrupted by some muffled yelling, and she turned to see her brother's kicking legs protruding out of a small snow pile. Running over, Katara took hold of Sokka's ankles and pulled him free.

Spitting some snow from his mouth, Sokka stood up and brushed himself off.

"There. Told you I'd get you out. Now let's go home before something else happens."

Katara was only half listening to him. She was looking at her hand and then at the snow, as if trying to figure out how two pieces of a puzzle went together.

--

Sokka strode purposefully back towards the village. He has holding his little sister's hand quite firmly, to make sure she didn't wander off again.

"Now Katara, when we get back, you're not going to tell Mom and Dad about what happened. If they ask; we were building snowmen and staying close to the village. There was no penguin sledding, and no magic snow."

"But there was!" Katara said firmly.

Sokka sighed. Once his sibling had decided on something, no amount of convincing could change her mind.

"Just stay in the village from now on, okay? You shouldn't go out on your own. It's dangerous."

"But you go out on your own all the time." Katara shot back.

"That's different. I'm going to be a warrior one day, so I have to go out and train."

"Can't I train with you?" Katara's eyes then widened with excitement. "Then I can be a warrior too!"

Sokka gave her a lofty stare. Didn't she know _anything_?

"Katara, girls can't be warriors."

"Why not?" Katara's face was starting to scrunch up the same way it did when her mother told her she wasn't old enough to stay up late.

"Girls have to stay home and look after the house, while men go out to hunt and fight." Sokka explained. "That's the way things are."

Katara looked thoughtful for a moment and then said decisively,

"That's not fair."

Sokka rolled his eyes. How could she not understand these things?

"Katara, boys are bigger, stronger and faster than girls. They just make better warriors." He then gave his sister an encouraging smile. "But don't worry. Girls are good at things too. They can cook, clean and do laundry much better than men."

The look on Katara's face implied that this didn't make her feel better.

By this time, they had arrived back at the village. Sokka stopped just outside their home, where their parents where no doubt waiting for them. He turned to Katara.

"Now remember what I said about the snow."

"But it did move by itself." Katara insisted. "I just raised my arms up like this…"

She swung her arms up the same way she had back in the snow field, and she and her brother were knocked off their feet by a sudden upsurge beneath them.

Chief Hakoda was sharpening his spear, while his wife Kya was stirring the sea prune soup she was preparing for dinner. Both of them were starting to wonder where their children had gotten to. In fact, Hakoda was about to suggest going out to fetch them when a loud rumble sounded from outside, and the sunlight coming in through the window was blocked.

Sharing a surprised look with his wife, Hakoda stood up and pulled aside the fur curtain that covered the window. It was packed entirely with snow. He stepped out the front door, followed closely by Kya.

Once outside, they were shocked to find that the wall of their igloo was covered by a snowdrift; and that their two children were half buried in it.

"What the…?"

"Katara did it!" Sokka pointed to his sister, who looked up apprehensively at her parents.

Hakoda continued to stare at the mini glacier their home now resembled, while Kya knelt down before her daughter.

"Is that true, Katara? Did you do that?"

"I didn't mean to." Katara answered nervously. "I wanted to show Sokka, because he didn't believe that the snow grabbed me."

Kya looked to Hakoda, who just seemed utterly perplexed. She then turned back to Katara.

"Can you show me?" She asked gently.

Katara held a tentative hand out. She began to slowly move it up and down. The snow directly underneath her hand began to rise and fall along with her motions. She ended it by flicking her hand up, causing a makeshift snowball to fly up and land on Sokka's head.

Her parents and brother stared at her wide-eyed. Katara was staring to feel uncomfortable; wondering what exactly she'd done wrong; when her mother finally spoke up.

"Katara… you're a bender!"

Katara blinked a few times, not sure what to make of this.

"Is that bad?" She finally asked.

"No, sweetheart. It's wonderful!" Kya pulled her daughter into a hug. Katara was still a little confused, but she was relieved to see that she wasn't going to get in trouble.

Sokka wiped the snow from his head and went to stand next to his father.

"So… Katara can do magic?" He said.

"No, son. It's not magic. It's waterbending." Hakoda answered with a smile. "There hasn't been a waterbender in our tribe since before I was born. This is a very good sign."

Sokka cast a critical eye on the scene before him. His parents both seemed delighted with what his sister could do. Even Katara was beaming as she began moving snow around with sweeps of her hands.

However Sokka couldn't quite shake the feeling that this 'water-bending' was going to cause a lot of trouble – for him especially.


End file.
